Since I last wrote, I've seen our first round of snow flakes, which probably isn't all that remarkable given the time of year it is.But I've heard way too much Christmas music already when I've been driving, the sound of which makes me flip from station to station to avoid hearing anything but ...

As November comes to an end, and the world seems to get a bit hectic, I thought I might talk about people and organizations that have done much to make our place in this life a bit better.Lamont and I attend many American Legion military ceremonies, partly because he is a Legion member and ...

It's highly likely that as you read this column, you will have spent at least a portion of the last few days shopping.Between pre-Thanksgiving sales, Thanksgiving Day sales, Black Friday specials and the rush toward Cyber Monday, the Christmas shopping season is well under way.And as you head ...

Two decades later, I remember the Bangles cover.Becky Cowser, a beautiful, talented writer two years older than me, hung up a Bangles magazine cover in the journal tech room at Steubenville High School. You see, our teacher, Anthony D'Aurora, but known only as Mr. D, loved the Bangles."Oh yes, ...

Sassy Saint recently had an open house at her school, and I went with the intent on embarrassing her horribly, because it's my job. It's a trope, isn't it? Parents of teenagers are doofy, embarrassing, misunderstanding messes while their children are wise and patient. We're only adults, we ...

I've been enjoying a lot of quality time lately with my daughter Sarah and my niece Mallory, but what's brought us together even more isn't so much the fact that we're related and like each other just because we've got this biological connection.We've got another reason to get together and have ...

This week marks the feast of all feasts, Thanksgiving, a day we need to give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us and try to make it more of a blessing for others who are having a hard time.The Holiday Cookbook will be coming out on Tuesday, and there are recipes that would make good side ...

While our area faces many problems, there also is reason to look toward a better future.That's the message that was shared once again during the 11th-annual Faith in the Future Prayer Breakfast.It's a spirit that has extended from the first such breakfast, which was organized by then-Bishop R. ...

While Managing Editor Craig has been on vacation, I have been coming into the office early. I am not a fan of this, because I am clinically dead before 7 a.m. I'm usually in such a rush to get out the door I don't even have time for a cup of coffee, so it's a minor miracle I haven't been in a ...

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies."Abraham Lincoln's gracious assessment of 1863 is immortalized in the opening line of his first Thanksgiving Day Proclamation.More than 150 years have passed since Lincoln's ...